Ancient Grains for Modern Meals - Maria Speck [22]
CAST-IRON SKILLET
A timeless piece of cookware is a medium-size cast-iron skillet. These affordable workhorses last a lifetime and will never let you down. I have used and abused my fair share of nonstick skillets. Some were quite pricey and came highly recommended, others were cheap. Yet I was not able, even with the greatest care, to avoid scratching their nonstick surfaces, even on high-end models. Cast-iron skillets, on the other hand, become essentially nonstick with seasoning and use. You can now buy them preseasoned—or just enjoy the campfire charm old-fashioned seasoning brings into your kitchen. Another beauty of these traditional pans is that they can go from the stove top to the oven. And I love the beautiful crusts that form at the bottom of foods cooked in cast-iron. Take cornbread, for example—out of this world!
DIGITAL SCALE
Any passionate baker should have a digital scale. It should include a “tare” feature to enable you to zero the scale between weighing different ingredients. Place your mixing bowl on the scale and measure your ingredients right into the bowl. Nothing could be easier! No more fiddling with cup measures, trying to fill them properly, and spilling the contents everywhere. No more cleaning your kitchen counter from overflowing flour or other ingredients. A digital scale is the one piece of equipment I can’t live without.
DOUGH WHISK
This ingeniously simple tool is nothing but two thick stainless steel wire loops on a wooden handle. Invented in Denmark, it helps to stir dough together more efficiently than a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula. No more clumps while mixing, either. The result is less gluten development in the batter, and thus more tender cakes and muffins.
DUTCH OVEN
For stews and slow-simmering braises, a large Dutch oven is invaluable for home cooks, as it distributes heat beautifully. There are a number of good-quality models on the market. No need to buy a high-end one if you are on a budget. Many cooks, myself included, cherish their enamel-coated cast-iron Dutch ovens.
FINE-MESH SIEVE
A fine-mesh sieve (or strainer) to drain grains, small and large, is a must if you don’t want to pour half your dinner staple down the drain. And it is essential when kernels are tiny, such as millet and quinoa.
HANDS
My hands are my most important kitchen tool. No electrical appliance, no kitchen gadget can replace the feeling in my fingertips when testing the silkiness of homemade pasta, the shaggy moistness of dough for tender scones, the heavy mixture that will eventually become a whole grain bread. I consider hands the most underrated tool in the American kitchen. Learning to use and trust your senses, especially the sense of touch, in cooking is one of the most rewarding experiences in the kitchen. When you pat the bottom of a bread loaf and detect the perfect hollow sound of “ready,” or when cookies yield to your touch just right—that’s a baker’s heaven, and only your hands can tell.
SAUCEPANS
Good quality heavy-bottomed pots with tight-fitting lids are essential for easy cooking with whole grains. I still use my very first set of first-class saucepans from Germany. I have set them on fire, and unwittingly tried to destroy them many times—to no avail. Money well spent! If your budget is small, get at least one 2-quart pot. If you can afford it, buy a set of three (small, medium, and large) that will serve your kitchen needs for life. Grains, and any other food for that matter, will simmer in them without losing much cooking liquid (no scorched grains anymore). Plus their energy-efficient bottoms retain the heat when steaming grains after cooking, which will result in beautiful plump kernels.
VEGETABLE BRUSH
To clean potatoes, carrots, turnips, and other root vegetables, I use an old-fashioned vegetable brush. I have a simple brush made from coir (coconut fiber) that fits nicely into the palm of my hand. Thoroughly scrubbing vegetables with a brush removes dirt and can make peeling them with a knife unnecessary. Plus, it preserves valuable nutrients, which